


Ready or not

by MalcolmReynoldsWidow (malcolm_reynolds_widow)



Category: Castle
Genre: Castle Fanfic Prompts, Established Relationship, F/M, Missing Scene, Oral Sex, Sexual Dysfunction, Sexual Humor, discussion of sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-11-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 06:43:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2538086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malcolm_reynolds_widow/pseuds/MalcolmReynoldsWidow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick still doesn't know what happened to him during those missing months - but there's something else missing now. In his sex life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ready or not

**Author's Note:**

> For a prompt on castlefanficprompts.tumbr.com:  
> ["Castle has erectile dysfunction and is embarrassed by it."](http://castlefanficprompts.tumblr.com/post/100612022314/castle-has-erectile-dysfunction-and-is-embarrassed-by) It's temporary. I promise.
> 
> Presumably picks up at the end of 7x03, "Clear and Present Danger".

"It's better than that. It's invisible."

Rick got that look on his face, the one Kate loved, the look of a guy who'd never in his life seen a naked woman before. You'd think, after all his experiences (including theirs), he'd be jaded or complacent. But no.

He continued to gaze at her at she approached the bed, his expression turning to one of delight and longing and sheer want. Kate stopped when she reached his side and leaned across him, deliberately brushing against him, to pick up the infrared goggles he'd pulled off.

"Won't need these," she hummed. "I know for a fact that you have a heat-seeking missile on your person. And I know exactly where it is."

She set the goggles down on the chair; when she turned back to him he'd kicked off his shoes and was reaching for her, to pull her into a long, hot, wet kiss. There was some logistical maneuvers involving clothes and the riddance thereof, and when Kate came up for air she found that Rick had turned the lights off with the remote.

"Don't you want the lights on?" she asked; he usually did.

"I want to just feel you," he murmured against her throat. "Hear you, taste you, smell you."

Can't argue with that, thought Kate. Any chance of argument was lost, at any rate, when Rick's hands moved to cup her bottom and his mouth started nibbling on her earlobe...

~

Kate regained her senses with one hand clenched in Rick's hair and the other holding her leg up and out, giving him maximum space to work his cunnilingual magic, with the usual effect of driving her over the edge of climax.

"God, Kate," he panted against her thigh. "Saving that up for me?"

"I got more where that came from," she laughed, tugging on his hair. "Get up here."

To her surprise, he ducked his head away from her hand and sat back on his heels on the floor. "Let me - catch my breath," he said.

Kate leaned up on her elbows. Her night vision was pretty good and she could have sworn she saw Rick's arm moving, doing something in his lap that she couldn't see. Stroking himself? Hard on the heels of that thought came some rapid deductions as to why he might be doing it, and she lay back and closed her eyes and made grabby hands in his direction.

"Come on, Big Rick," she said. "Just come and hold me."

Her suspicions were strengthened when he rose without a word and lay down beside her - pulling the sheet up to cover his hips, preventing contact with her body in that area. Kate didn't question him, just kissed him and wrapped her arms around his torso, laying her cheek against his chest.

"It's okay," she whispered. "Don't worry. I love you."

He hugged her and kissed the top of her head and made no reply.

~

Kate was more worried about Rick's mental state than the physical. She'd never had to think about "performance issues" in regard to her own experience, and she would lay odds that Rick hadn't, either. She decided to follow his lead, wait for him to mention anything. If anything needed mentioning.

A few days went by. Nothing changed in his demeanor or bearing; in fact, she caught Ryan and Espo ribbing him about "Beckett looking like the cat that ate the canary", to which he came back with, "Wait, are you comparing me to a tiny, noisy yellow bird?"

"If the condom fits, bro," said Espo, then saw her coming from the stairs and sat down quickly, trying to look busy.

That night she had to stay late on a case, and Rick opted to go home and "warm up the sheets" for her. She crawled in next to him after midnight and he shifted in his sleep to be her big spoon, always the snuggler, she thought. Something, though, was missing.

In the morning, she realized that her hypothesis was correct, but still didn't speak. The case demanded every moment she could spare. Rick made her breakfast and coffee and sent her off with a kiss and a not-so-surreptitious grope and said he'd stay home and write.

~

There had been snuggling and making out, but they hadn't made love since that night. Well, hadn't had sex, per se; there was at least one interlude where Rick used every trick in his extensive book to tease and please her, bringing her to orgasm multiple times, making her squirt - but as far as she could tell, he hadn't come. Not once. She was pretty sure that he wasn't even getting an erection.

Once the case was closed, Kate found an afternoon where everyone was out of the loft and set a trap. Rick walked right into it - into her, as she pounced on him when he walked into his office.

"Whoa! Sneak attack," he grinned. Trying to grab her in his arms, he found himself in her iron grip instead; she marched him into the bedroom and started stripping him while he blustered.

"Hey, this is fun, but - Were you gonna - Seriously - "

She had the advantage of surprise, as well as all her years of training taking down suspects, and before he could mount an effective defense she had him down to his socks and boxers. She pushed him back on the bed and climbed up after him, then let him roll her underneath him. It made it easier for her to pull his boxers down and clamp her legs around his thighs.

Rick froze and then let his head fall on her shoulder. "Busted," he mumbled.

Kate stroked his hair and rubbed his back. She was still fully clothed, but she could tell what was going on. Or not going on.

"Not busted," she told him gently. "Not a crime."

"Just an embarrassment," he retorted. She loosed her grip and he rolled off her and onto his back, covering his face with his hands. "'Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.' Or laugh, whichever takes your fancy."

"Castle," said Kate reprovingly. "I admit, there are a lot of things about you that make me laugh, but this is not one of them."

"This" was his completely relaxed, unaroused penis, lying passively between his thighs when normally it would have sprung into action, or at least stirred, at the first sign of possible foreplay. She took Rick's hand and laid both of them on his length, palming him, hoping for a good strong twitch.

Nothing.

"Spare me the stilted 'it happens' speech," he said, letting her explore gently. "I'd hoped to never have to hear it. Especially not from you."

"You won't," she said. "Talk is cheap, anyway."

She sat up and started taking off her shirt. Rick let his hands drop away from his face and watched her appreciatively, touching and caressing her as more skin was revealed. Eventually she was naked and straddling his waist and he drew her down for a slow kiss.

Rick wasn't the only one with tricks up his sleeve (when he was wearing sleeves). Kate was creative and determined - but nothing was working. Once she'd tried her last idea it was clear that though Rick's spirit was more than willing, his flesh was out to lunch.

He brought her up to ride his face, applying his tongue enthusiastically, as if in apology, and when she collapsed on his chest she heard him sigh heavily.

"There goes my dream of making you the mother of my child," he muttered. "Only 44 years old. What a waste."

Kate pinched his nipple. "Aren't you being a little - premature? It's only been a few days. Have you talked to your doctor about it?"

His silence was not only unusual, but eloquent.

"You haven't." She leaned up to look him in the eyes. "Call your doctor, Castle."

"You have no idea how humiliating it is to have to tell another man you're having a hard - well, a not-so-hard time. It's tough enough having a guy - even a doctor - stick a finger in your ass without buying you dinner first."

"Really? How about getting your boobs regularly mashed for a mammogram, or having a really uncomfortable pap smear? If I can get that done once a year, you can submit to a few embarrassing questions." Her tone was teasing. "Men are such babies. Don't give up the ghost, babe, because I don't plan on giving up on Little Ricky any time soon. If it's stress, or something left over from your unplanned sabbatical, we can deal with that."

He leaned up to kiss her.

"For you, I will gird up my loins - such as they are!"

~

On the day of Rick's appointment, Kate resolutely did not text or call him, figuring he was skittish enough already. When she got home that night he was in his study, typing furiously as if to chase his own thoughts. They had a routine for these occasions; Kate went over and kissed the top of his head, and if he stopped typing, he was fair game for conversation or other activities. He didn't stop, just grinned and said, "Hey there," without taking his eyes off the screen.

She proceeded to the bedroom to rid herself of shoes and purse, then wandered out to forage for food and reading material. By the time she'd had a snack and started re-reading Patterson's latest, the tapping from the study had slowed and then stopped. A few minutes later Rick came out to join her, flopping down on the sofa next to her.

"Busy day?" he asked, and they spent a few minutes in end-of-the-day chit-chat before she realized he was stalling for time.

"Okay," she said. "What's the scoop, writer boy?"

"The worst is over," he reported. "I think. There was an interrogation, then a strip search and some bloodletting... among other bodily fluids I will not mention. Test results will be in by the end of next week."

"Wow, more fun than my day," Kate remarked. "Apart from the bloodletting. Any theories?"

"Crazy or actually probable?"

"Probable, please. I can hear crazy any time." She looked up at him and knew from his fond expression that he could tell this was important to her, too.

"Well, the possibilities include: stress, recent dosing with an unknown substance, abnormally low blood pressure, disease, vitamin deficiency...covering a multitude of sins. Fortunately, the doc knows about my recent history - or lack thereof."

"So you went to the doctor who saw you after you came back," she said. "Good call. Less explaining."

"My thoughts exactly. Now, I'm thinking of something that comes in a bottle and goes great with lasagna..."

She let him babble on as he assembled dinner. Now they could only wait.

~

The few weeks after he'd returned - along with two months of abstinence - had taught Kate a measure of patience when it came to matters of desire. Over the next week she tried to remain patient. It helped that Rick seemed just as interested in her physically as ever, even if Little Ricky wasn't on board. There were makeouts and strip poker and the usual snuggling in bed, and Kate wondered whether they could get used to this state of affairs.

She didn't want to, though.

~

Another day at the precinct, with Rick at home supposedly writing, Kate got a cryptic text message from Martha Rodgers.

_come home early darling. a & I are well out of the way for a few hours._

She stared at her phone, thinking fast. That could mean any number of things. Obviously Rick was home alone now, but in what state? Had he had news, and if so, was it good or bad? Should she brace herself for more worrying, or -

Another message notification appeared on her phone and she tapped to open it - then clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a sound of sudden hysteria.

Of course, her colleague noticed.

"Hey, you okay, Beckett?" Ryan asked. Beckett shoved the phone in her pocket and waved him away; when he realized she was giggling uncontrollably, he just rolled his eyes and disappeared into the break room.

Kate grabbed her jacket and purse and left her completely non-urgent paperwork, heading for the elevator. Once inside and alone, she took out her phone again; there was another message, sent after the extremely suggestive photo she'd just received.

_all is well; _as you can see_ , problem was temporary _

The first thing she saw when she opened the door of the loft was something on the breakfast bar with a shiny balloon tied to it. The balloon said "Congratulations!" and the anchor was a six-pack of some energy drink. Kate grinned and found a piece of paper on top of the six-pack with an arrow drawn on it.

She turned, following the arrow, and was met with a trail of...condom packets! Like bread crumbs, they led toward the door of his study; she picked each one up as she followed them, leaving her jacket and purse on the bar.

Entering the study, she lost it and laughed loud and long. The big flat screen he used to plot his story elements had one big, red symbol on it - another arrow, drawn by a classical Cupid, pointing to the bedroom. That room was dark, but she could make out a familiar lump right in the middle of the bed. It stirred as she approached, leaving articles of clothing on the floor in her wake. By the time she climbed onto the bed, Rick was sitting up, naked and smirking, with his hand wrapped around his half-hard cock.

"Nice selfie," said Kate, dropping her panties over the side of the bed.

"I hope nobody else got a look," Rick replied, watching as she unhooked her bra. "Allow me."

He drew the garment off her, slowly, and took her in his arms as he lay her back on the bed.

"It certainly got your message across," Kate told him. "Your mom's text was more mysterious."

"My mother?" His gaze lost a little of its fire. "My mother texted you?"

"She just said to come home early and that she and Alexis would be out of the way. Then I got yours and all was made clear." She chuckled. "Please don't tell me you showed her what you sent me."

"Of course not. She must have figured it was an inside joke," he said. "Maybe it was the energy drinks and the balloon."

"Or the trail of condoms."

"She can't know, though. I never said anything to anyone about my - issues - unless you - ?"

Kate pinched his ear. "Why are we talking about your mother."

"You brought it up."

"Yeah? What have you brought _up_ lately?"

His mood restored, he smiled and rolled his hips  against her. "I'd rather show than tell."

**Author's Note:**

> Please excuse the liberties taken with Castle's diagnosis, which is not really the point of the story.


End file.
